Xavier Becerra gets the nod and has been approved for his appointment as state Attorney General, replacing Kamala Harris.
The Chronicle's MELODY GUTIERREZ: "Rep. Xavier Becerra will be sworn in as California’s first Latino attorney general Tuesday after the state Legislature gave final approval to the veteran Los Angeles lawmaker’s interim appointment."
"In a 26-9 vote Monday, the state Senate approved Gov. Jerry Brown’s appointment of Becerra, who will serve the final two years of the position previously held by Kamala Harris. Harris was sworn in to the U.S. Senate this month."
"Brown said Becerra “will be a champion for all Californians."
Vindication: PG&E could face the maximum penalty legally allowed for its role in a pipeline explosion that destroyed 38 homes and left 8 people dead.
AP: "A federal judge says he is inclined to fine Pacific Gas & Electric Co. the maximum $3 million as well as require the utility to mention its criminal convictions in ads and conduct community service as part of its sentence in a criminal case stemming from a deadly natural gas explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area."
"U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson was scheduled to issue his sentence Monday, but pushed the decision back to consider comments by attorneys for the government and PG&E."
"The 2010 blast of a PG&E natural gas pipeline sent a giant plume of fire into the air, killing eight people and destroying 38 homes in the city of San Bruno."
CalEXIT could be making a resurgence after recent polling indicates that a third of Californians are ok with secession.
The Bee's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Nearly one in three Californians supports withdrawing from the United States, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll – a highly unlikely scenario that could nonetheless come before Golden State voters in the 2018 election."
"The national survey, released on Monday, found 32 percent of California respondents inclined toward secession, a dramatic increase from the last time Reuters asked in 2014, when 20 percent favored the idea. That’s also significantly higher than the average support among all states of 22 percent, which has dropped two percentage points since 2014."
"Why do so many Californians suddenly want to form their own country? Perhaps the election of President Donald Trump, who suffered a historic loss here in November."
As Trump pushes through with the start of his promise to repeal Obamacare, experts ponder what impact his first executive order holds for those who have coverage under the ACA.
The Bee's JOSH MAGNESS: "President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday aimed at defanging the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, giving heads of federal departments more power to delay or grant exemption from regulations associated with the law."
"Its immediate effect remains unclear, but we’ve answered some of the most confusing questions."
"What does the executive order say?"
READ MORE related to Healthcare: Donald Trump signs anti-abortion executive order surrounded by men -- Huffington Post's AMANDA TERKEL; Poet Mark Baumer killed while walking cross-country in solo protest -- L.A. Times' MICHAEL SCHAUB; U.S. judge finds that Aetna misled the public about its reasons for quitting Obamacare -- L.A. Times' MICHAEL HILTZIK; Scripps scientists get closer to artificial life with synthetic proteins -- Union-Tribune's BRADLEY J. FIKES
The Sacramento region saw a 25 percent reduction in water usage in 2016 despite lax restrictions.
The Bee's RYAN SABALOW/DALE KASLER: "Water districts in the Sacramento region cut water use by 25 percent in 2016 compared with 2013 – despite the state’s decision to back away from strict mandatory conservation targets."
"The savings that were actually achieved were pretty astounding,” Amy Talbot, the Sacramento Regional Water Authority’s water efficiency program manager, said Monday."
"In May, the State Water Resources Control Board retreated from the mandatory statewide urban conservation program it had adopted in 2015 by order of Gov. Jerry Brown. In 2015, more than 400 urban water suppliers were ordered to cut usage by an average of 25 percent compared with the base year of 2013."
READ MORE related to Climate: Gov. Brown declares state of emergency after storms cause flooding, erosion, highway damage -- L.A. Times' MATT HAMILTON; It's already the 4th wettest January on record for Sacramento -- The Bee's BILL LINDELOF; 'The windows exploded': 20 dead after thunderstorms, tornadoes hit Deep South -- Union-Tribune
Rex Tillerson poised to be confirmed as the new secretary of state.
The Bee's RICHARD LARDNER/ERICA WERNER: "Rex Tillerson's bid to be secretary of state narrowly won approval Monday from the Republican-led Foreign Relations Committee, a move that all but assures the full Senate will confirm President Donald Trump's pick for the key Cabinet post."
"Members of the panel voted along party lines, 11-10, to back Tillerson following a contentious confirmation hearing nearly two weeks ago that stoked concerns he might not win the panel's recommendation. But just hours before members cast their votes, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., declared his support for Tillerson, backing off from a challenge to the new president."
"Rubio said that despite serious reservations about Tillerson, particularly over his views on Russia, he believed a president was entitled to significant deference in assembling his Cabinet."
READ MORE related to Beltway: From VA to FBI, federal workers await details of Trump's hiring freeze -- The Bee's ADAM ASHTON; GOP Congress, Democratic Legislature use same tactics -- The Bee's DAN WALTERS; What Trump's moves on trade, abortion and federal hiring really do -- and don't do -- L.A. Times' NOAM N. LEVEY
California has taken a pummeling from the rains drenching the region, and now a state of emergency has been declared in 50 counties.
AP: "Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for 50 California counties that were drenched by winter storms."
"Monday's two proclamations cover counties up and down the state that were hit with flooding, mudslides, erosion and damage to roads and highways from December and January storms."
"Brown says "conditions of extreme peril" exist in the counties because of damage estimated in the tens of millions of dollars."
Undocumented CSUS students try to remain elusive as the Trump immigration hardline slowly stirs to action.
The Bee's DIANA LAMBERT: "Conflicting reports about if and when President Donald Trump will end a program that allows undocumented students to remain in the country while attending school has many Sacramento State students nervous. Staff members and faculty are worried, too."
"I think the best way that I can express it is that we have been anticipating a storm and how strong is that storm going to be, we don’t know,” said Norma Mendoza, program coordinator with the university’s Dreamer Resource Center, established two years ago to address the needs of undocumented students."
"To proactively deal with the situation, California State University, Sacramento, hosted a meeting Monday with students, an immigration lawyer and Dreamer Resource Center staff to discuss concerns in the wake of Trump’s inauguration Friday."
READ MORE related to Education: Protests surround upcoming Milo Yiannopoulos event -- Daily Californian's PARTH VOHRA
Speaking of immigration, recent press coverage suggests that Trump has softened his hardline towards ending protections for immigrant children.
L.A. Times' MICHAEL A. MEMOLI/BRIAN BENNETT: "President Trump signaled Monday through a flurry of directives and pronouncements that he will put a priority on remaking U.S. trade and tax policy, even as he quietly backed away from a pledge to end protections for nearly 750,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children."
"The moves punctuated a busy first weekday for Trump’s White House. He also banned funding for groups overseas that refer women to abortion clinics and froze most federal hiring, in between meeting with business leaders and lawmakers."
"Altogether, Trump underscored his populist bent and previewed his anti-globalization agenda. Trump’s immediate shift away from multinational trade agreements in favor of bilateral talks evoked his campaign promise to pull back from deals that he said had left U.S. workers behind."
Trump has officially used his executive powers to withdraw the USA from the TPP. What does that mean for California, exactly?
The Bee's DALE KASLER/PHILLIP REESE: "President Donald Trump said his decision to scrap a major international trade agreement will protect American jobs against imports."
"Much of California, though, wasn’t in a mood to thank him. Already bracing for a fight with Trump over issues such as climate change and immigration, California largely found itself at odds with Trump just four days into his presidency over a topic with major implications for the state’s economy."
"Trump’s executive order Monday withdrawing from the 12-nation trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, could hurt exports of Silicon Valley computer and electronics products, as well as Central Valley farmers looking to grow their markets overseas. The film and music industries, hoping for stronger trademark protections, could suffer, too."
READ MORE related to Economy: PolitiFact: CA has highest poverty rate in the nation -- CHRIS NICHOLS in Capitol Weekly; SEC investigating Banc of California, CEO resigns -- L.A. Times' JAMES RUFUS KOREN; $1B soccer redevelopment initiative announced for 'Q' site -- Union-Tribune's ROGER SHOWLEY; Solar finance firm sent all employees' W-2s to fake CEO -- Union-Tribune's JEFF MCDONALD
The catalyst of the Ghost Ship fire is still unknown as federal agencies continue their investigation.
L.A. Times' RICHARD WINTON: "In the nearly two months since 36 people died in a warehouse fire in Oakland, one central question remains unanswered: What caused the worst fire in modern California history?"
"Investigators with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives probed the burned remains of the Ghost Ship but have not yet offered an explanation of what sparked the blazeand why it was so deadly."
"Jill Snyder, special agent in charge of the ATF in San Francisco, has said there is no evidence that it was intentionally set and, despite initial reports, it was not started by a faulty refrigerator."
READ MORE related to Ghost Ship: Deadly Oakland fire didn't start in Ghost Ship warehouse -- The Chronicle's MICHAEL BODLEY
Remember Trump blaming his lack-of-a-popular-mandate on the unsubstantiated claim that 3 million ballots were cast illegally? Well, the number has been revised and now sits somewhere around 5 million (still unsubstantiated).
AP: "President Donald Trump asserted in a private meeting with congressional leaders Monday night that he would have won the popular vote in the 2016 election if 3 million to 5 million immigrants living in the country illegally hadn't voted."
"Trump made the debunked claim, without offering any evidence, at a White House meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders, according to a Democratic aide familiar with the exchange who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting."
"House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., alluded to it, telling reporters that Trump and the lawmakers talked about "the different Electoral College, popular vote." Asked if anything surprised her about the meeting, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said, "I won't even go into that."
A man battling a murder conviction stemming from a 2009 incident finds himself finally free of charges after a prolonged legal sparring.
L.A. Times' MARISA GERBER: "It's official,” read the text message from his lawyer’s son."
"Confused about what had happened, Raymond Lee Jennings rushed to his laptop Monday morning, opened his email and found a court document. He scrolled to Page 13 and burst into tears. Finally, his fight to clear his name was over — a judge had thrown out his murder conviction."
"Superior Court Judge William Ryan wrote that new evidence seemed to “undermine the entire prosecution case and point unerringly to innocence or reduced culpability."
READ MORE related to Public Safety: Peskin says city should yank media credentialing from SFPD -- The Chronicle's LIZZIE JOHNSON; Woman, 66, held down with her own cane at home by robbers -- The Chronicle's MICHAEL BODLEY; Rescuers look for child feared to have drowned in Rainbow Creek -- San Diego Union-Tribune
Actors on a Spanish broadcasting station could see unionization in their future.
L.A. Times' DAVID NG: "The long-running dispute between Telemundo and SAG-AFTRA over whether actors for the Spanish language broadcaster can unionize could see a conclusion by March. The union announced Monday that a vote is set to take place to decide the fate of the network’s thousands of performers who appear in popular telenovelas and other programs."
"SAG-AFTRA said the vote, which is set to take place from Feb. 7 to March 8, will be administered by the National Labor Relations Board. The union said it called for the vote in a Dec. 9 request to the National Labor Relations Board."
"Telemundo, based in Miami, ranks among the largest Spanish-language broadcasters in the U.S. NBCUniversal, which acquired the company in 2001, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment."
The Oakland city council wrestles with complex legislation that cracks down on unsafe warehouse subletting while protecting vulnerable residents.
The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN: "The stakes are high for Oakland political leaders, who are facing pressure to beef up building safety but shield a warehouse community that gives the city its hipster cachet."
"On Monday, the City Council tried to strike a compromise, passing a law that will ease the burden for tenants who get displaced when a landlord makes safety improvements."
"The law, pushed by Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, nearly doubles the relocation fee that landlords must pay tenants they evict to repair code violations. It passed by a unanimous vote, during a meeting filled with wrenching, tearful speeches."
READ MORE related to Housing: Oakland landlords given 40 days to correct 'inhumane conditions' -- The Chronicle's FILIPA A. IOANNOU; San Diego seeking buildings with smaller carbon footprints -- Union-Tribune's DAVID GARRICK; Berkeley City Council set to tackle tiny homes and short-term housing at Tuesday meeting -- Daily Californian's EDWARD BOOTH
Capitol Weekly sits down with two active UC Davis College Republicans to talk about the recent controvery surrounding Milo Yiannopoulos and Martin Shkreli, two of the Right's most controversial figures, at the UC Davis campus.
Capitol Weekly: "UC Davis College Republicans pulled the plug on a Jan. 13 speaking event featuring far-right firebrandMilo Yiannopoulos and pharmaceutical executiveMartin Shkreli, following protests against the duo’s appearance that overwhelmed campus security."
"Yiannopolous, an editor at Breitbart News, is a vocal opponent of feminism and was banned from Twitter for conducting a harassment campaign against actress Leslie Jones. Shkreli came to prominence in 2015 for raising the price of a lifesaving drug that combats parasitic infections from $13.50 to $750 per pill in one day. He is currently out on bail for alleged securities fraud."
"The College Republicans and UC Davis brass tell different versions of the day’s events. Capitol Weekly sat down with Davis College Republican President Nicholas Francois and Executive Director Andrew Mendoza to talk about what happened — and why they wanted to bring such controversial figures to speak on campus."
And now for a page out of our "A left to the cheek of the Alt-Right" file...
For those unaware, white supremacist Richard Spencer, whilst giving an interview about the anti-Semitic mascot Pepe The Frog (the pin on his lapel), caught an unsuspecting cold one from an unknown assailant who attacked the controversial Alt-Right firebrand in a flash of cowardice; now, the internet won't let Mr. Spencer forget the moment he was sucker-punched.
THE VERGE: "A video of white supremacist Richard Spencer getting punched by an Inauguration Day protestor went viral on social media this weekend, prompting a dozen overlapping conversations about the act’s value, as well as the value of celebrating it."
"While many argued that celebrating any amount of violence hurts the cause of peaceful protesters, others argued that the social risk of being a neo-Nazi should be as high as possible."
"Spencer was attacked while in the middle of explaining the pin he was wearing — a Pepe frog that has been used so persistently as an anti-Semitic meme that certain usages of Pepe have been labeled a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League. He is one of the public faces of the internet’s “alt-right” community (a term he coined), which takes its power from memes and has built its rhetoric around them. He’s probably best known for arguing in favor of “ethnic cleansing” and leading a Nazi salute in our nation’s capital. Shortly after the punch, Spencer said on Periscope “I am worried about going out to dinner on an average Tuesday because these people are roaming around” and “I’m afraid this is going to become the meme to end all memes. That I’m going to hate watching this.”
READ MORE related to I Did Nazi That Coming: Attack on Alt-Right leader has internet asking: Is it ok to punch a Nazi? -- New York Times' LIAM STACK; Richard Spencer's Alt-Right white supremacists just put a bounty on his attacker's head -- U.S. Uncut's NATHAN WELLMAN
